Characterization of properties of airborne particulate matter from optical scattering using lidar
Document ID: 145
Li, Guangkun
Chadha, Ginnipal S.
Mulik, Karoline R.
Philbrick, C. Russell
The Pennsylvania State University, Department of Electrical Engineering, University Park, PA, U.S.A.
Abstract
Characterization of airborne particulate matter has been a major challenge to researchers involved in the field of atmospheric sciences. Knowledge of aerosol optical properties assumes significant importance in the wake of studies strongly correlating airborne particulate matter with adverse health effects. Studies have shown that tropospheric aerosols increase mortality, morbidity and respiratory problems, and pulmonary function decreases with increase in ambient particle mass concentrations1. The small aerosol component, PM2.5, is of most concern to human health because it can be easily inhaled deep into the lungs. Along with health issues, aerosol distributions have significant implications for natural environmental aesthetics and climatic change conditions. The typical percentage of visual range, compared to the clean molecular atmosphere, is around 50-67% in the western U.S. and 20% in eastern U.S. The combustion products from transportation and power sources produce most of the nucleation centers which grow to aerosol sizes that change the visibility and radiative flux at the Earth’s surface by optical scattering. We have used Raman lidar and backscatter lidar techniques to measure the optical extinction and scattering properties as part of the NARSTO-NE-OPS (NorthEast-Oxidant and Particle Study) during the summers of 1998 and 1999.